And Now, the International Anti-Darwin Essay Contest

We do have some LGF readers who are creationists, so we would be remiss if we didn’t bring to your attention a chance to win a prize of 100,000 new Turkish lira (about $63,191.14 US at current exchange rates), in a scientific essay contest being held by Turkish creationist Harun Yahya (aka Adnan Oktar): WHY IS THE THEORY OF EVOLUTION INVALID?

The competitors of the competition “Why Is the Theory of Evolution Invalid?” held by Science Research Foundation had some righteous demands, stating that given the too many dilemmas of Darwinism, 15 pages is too short for their essays and that the time is inadequate.

Upon these requests, some changes have been made on the rules of the competition and the GREAT PRIZE IS INCREASED. Entries which will be hand-written on A4 paper will NOT EXCEED 60 PAGES IN LENGTH AND NOT BE LESS THAN 30 PAGES.

The competition will include two stages. In this first stage of the competition, the prize of the winning contestant is increased to 25,000 YTL. Therunner-up will receive 15,000 YTL and the third prize-winning contestant will receive 10,000 YTL.

In the second stage of the competition, the winning contestant will receive a prize of 100,000 YTL, the runner-up 50,000 YTL and the third prize-winning contestant 25,000 YTL.

In the first stage of the competition, contestants will send to our foundation their essays containing comprehensive and convincing information on the subject of all the Darwinist dilemmas that prove the invalidity of evolution, of the kind summarized below. The first 1000 entries received will be considered.

The contestants will send their theses to the following address of the foundation by mail: Çakırağa mah. Katip Müslihittin sok. Sağlam İşhanı No.3 D.12-13 Aksaray/İstanbul. The last day to receive the essays is extended until 18 October 2009.

In the second stage of the contest, the scientific essays reaching our foundation will be evaluated by academicians who are experts on the subject and 100 contestants will be entitled to take part in the final.

The final competition will be held on 6 December 2009, Sunday at a location which will be announced later with the participation of the 100 contestants that are selected by the jury.

The contestants will be asked to answer a test consisting of 80 questions.

The winners will receive their checks at an award ceremony on 28 December 2009.

The purpose of this competition is to raise young people’s awareness of Darwinism, which has inflicted immense damage on mankind and to put them on their guard against this terrible fraud in science.

Old-time creationist huckstering at its best, with a Turkish flair.

Oktar proceeds to offer a long laundry list of anti-evolution talking points, helpful suggestions to the contestants about areas on which they should focus their research; a little intelligent design here, some young earth creationism there, irreducible complexity and the second law of thermodynamics, etc., ad nauseam. Ending with point #17, with which I dare you to argue:

(17) The fact that we only have experience of an image of matter totally demolishes Darwinist philosophy…

One reality scientifically proven in our century is that we never have direct experience of the external original of matter. Electric signals reach us by way of our senses, and the image that forms for us in our brains consists solely of these signals. But we see highly colored, vivid, active, three-dimensional and perfectly sharp images, hear perfectly clear sounds and perceive a flawless outside world. But all these are merely perceptions. It is the soul bestowed on human beings by Allah (God) that perceives, sees and hears them, that understands, thinks, rejoices and yearns. This great reality has totally discredited the materialist and Darwinist mindset, which claims that everything consists of matter.